UN: Somalia hit by worst famine in 20 years

THE United Nations has declared a famine in two regions of southern Somalia and that tens of thousands, the majority of them children, have already died.

Mark Bowden, humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, said southern Bakool and Lower Shabelle had been hit by the worst famine in the region for 20 years, and said it could quickly spread unless donors took action.

The UN is proposing “exceptional measures” of providing “cash relief” while it finds ways of getting larger volumes of food aid into southern Somalia, Bowden said. The UN is also appealing for $300 million over the next two months for Somalia.

“If we don’t act now, famine will spread to all eight regions of southern Somalia within two months, due to poor harvests and infectious disease outbreaks,” Bowden said.

“Every day of delay in assistance is literally a matter of life or death for children and their families in the famine-affected areas.”

The UN said 3.7 million people across the war-ravaged Horn of Africa country, or almost half the population, were now in danger. Of them 2.8 million are in the south.

In the worst-affected areas, half the children are malnourished.

Years of drought, that have also affected Kenya and Ethiopia, have hit harvests and conflict has made it extremely difficult for agencies to operate in the south of the country.

The south is controlled by al Shabaab Islamist insurgents, linked to al Qaida, who are fighting the government. The group also controls parts of the capital Mogadishu and central Somalia.

In early July, the rebels lifted a ban on food aid which they had said created dependency. Some analysts say they are allowing aid in because they fear a public backlash if they do not. Others say the rebels want bribes.

The UN said the inability of food agencies to work in the region since early 2010 because of the ban contributed to the crisis.

Nearly 135,000 Somalis have fled since January, mainly to Kenya and Ethiopia. An average of 1,700 and 1,300 Somalis are arriving in Ethiopia and Kenya respectively each day.

Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil foreign affairs spokesperson, Seán Ó Fearghaíl, said that Tánasite and Foreign Affairs minister Eamon Gilmore needs to urge EU foreign policy representative Catherine Ashton to address the growing famine concerns.

“The UN declaration of a state of famine in two regions of southern Somalia, southern Bakool and Lower Shabelle, is extremely serious and must be met with a swift and appropriate response from the EU,” Mr Ó Fearghaíl said.

To date, the Fine Gael-Labour coalition has increased its contribution to attempts to resolve the crisis, with more than €5.5m now being provided through the UN and aid agencies.